Second Chances
by idontlikegravy
Summary: Giles has to come to terms with some big changes and he finds unlikely help in Spike. Not Slash.


Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, they belong to people far more imaginative than me. Please don't make me say it again, it makes me sad.

Second Chances

Giles moaned softly as he regained consciousness. As his eyes focussed, he realised that he was in Buffy's basement. Buffy and Spike were standing over him, and Willow was seated in a corner of the room. He tried to stand but he was chained to the wall, so he slumped back onto the bed. Confused he looked to his Slayer. "Buffy? What…" he stopped as he noticed that both she and Spike were holding stakes. He looked at Willow again and saw that she held an orb of Thessula. "Oh god." He said softly, "No. Buffy, why didn't you just kill me?" The Slayer looked at him, tears in her eyes, but an obvious resolve there too.

"How could you expect me to do that when I knew a way to bring you back?"

"You weren't exactly pleased when Willow did that to you." The jibe hit home, and Giles regretted it instantly. "I'm sorry. It's just a shock. You know I would never want this."

"Neither did any of us, but I need you, now more than ever. I figured that another vampire on our side might help us win." Giles winced at being called the 'v' word.

"Can you at least let me out of these chains now?"

"No, I'm sorry Giles." Willow replied, "I modified the original curse, took out the happiness clause. I'm not entirely sure I got it right though, we need to be certain your soul is sticking around before we let you loose. The good news is that if I got it right then you couldn't go all soul-lessy like Angel could."

"We have to go now, stuff to do." Buffy said, "But Spike is going to stay here with you, keep you company."

"You mean keep an eye on me in case I turn evil." Buffy looked at him, her soulful eyes expressing the sadness that she couldn't put into words. She and Willow walked up the stairs, leaving the two vampires alone. Spike walked over to a bench and picked up two mugs. He passed one to Giles, who realised with disgust that it contained blood. "Oh god." He said again. The disgust must have been clear on his face because Spike then said,

"I know how you must feel, but you have to drink it Giles. Last thing you want is to get really hungry and go snacking on Willow or Dawn."

"Spike I really don't think you have the slightest idea what I'm feeling right now. I'm only grateful that Willow returned my soul before I did something truly terrible." But he knew that what Spike had said was true and he drank the contents of the mug quickly. He wasn't sure what was worse: the fact that he had to drink blood or the fact that he had enjoyed it. The two sat in silence for a while.

"Angel won't be happy." Giles started at Spike's statement and looked at him quizzically, "Well, he's always made this big deal about how he's the bloody vampire with a soul. Well now there's three of us, he's not so special anymore." Giles chuckled, but without any real humour. It would still be quite some time before he found any of this funny.

"You know Spike, you can be a really insensitive wanker sometimes."

"Language Rupert! It's not like you. You're not turning evil again are you?"

"No I am not. You know, contrary to popular belief I am not all about books and bloody tweed. I haven't even worn tweed since the school blew up!"

"Well excuse me for not breathing."

"Will you stop with the vampire jokes too? I'm having trouble enough as it is, without you cracking bloody jokes."

"Sorry." They sat in silence again until Giles spoke.

"I can't do this. I can't live like this. Stake me, or let me go so I can walk into the sunlight."

"Oh that's just bloody marvellous that is. Red goes to all the trouble to find an orb of thingummy, and alter the curse so you don't have to suffer like Peaches does and now you want to throw it all away. You selfish git. Buffy needs you. Not just an extra set of muscles in the fight, she needs you, her Watcher, doing all that research bollocks and fatherly stuff you do."

"She doesn't need me. Not any more."

"Really? Then why did she stop me staking you?" Giles looked at Spike, the shock clear on his face. "Yeah, that's right. When it was obvious you'd been turned she couldn't do it, so I was about to when she stopped me. Threw me right across the bloody room too." Giles smiled at the mental image. He'd felt himself being pushed further and further from his Slayer's life, had left her so she could find her feet, become the woman he knew she was. But still, it was nice to know that he was still needed, that she still saw him as a father figure. "Well, it looks like your soul is here to stay, don't you think?"

"I'd imagine that if the spell were going to backfire then it would have occurred by now. It's dark isn't it?" Giles asked. Spike nodded.

"V…our kind are aware of sunset and sunrise, even if we can't see it." Spike replied and Giles nodded.

"I'm not sure I like 'our kind' much more than vampire, but I guess I have to get used to it."

"So you're not thinking of taking up sunbathing?"

"Not in the near future, no. Buffy needs me." Spike smiled and began to undo the chains.

"Now that's the Rupert we all know and love." Spike said with barely contained sarcasm. Giles raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. "Mind you, Rupert the Vampire doesn't quite strike terror into the heart now does it."

"What would you prefer? William?" Giles said pointedly.

"Well, what about what that Ethan bloke called you? Ripper. That's much more like it."

"Spike, I told you I'm not in the mood for bloody jokes. Unless you want to meet Ripper I suggest you shut up."

"Oh I'm bloody quaking mate." Spike raised his voice as he said this.

"I'm not your mate, you stupid, arrogant tosser." Giles said, almost shouting now.

"Well if you want to last more than five minutes, I'm the closest thing you've got right now." Giles took a step closer until he was only inches from Spike.

"If I live to be a hundred, I'll never be friends with you." He said quietly, with a surprising level of menace.

"Yeah? Well come back to me in a century and tell me how you feel then. We'll see if you're so judgemental after a hundred years of pig's blood." Spike never even saw the fist coming. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor on the other side of the basement. Giles was staring down at his fist, amazed by his own strength. Spike leapt back up, his game face on, laughing. "Oh very nice Rupert. See the civilised English librarian." He spoke in a sing-song voice, taunting Giles, and it worked. Without even knowing he had done it, Giles vamped out and lunged at Spike. Spike laughed and this time he caught Giles' fist. "Feels good doesn't it?" Spike hissed, "To let Ripper out. He's been bubbling under the surface for so long." Giles brought up his other fist and hit Spike square on the jaw.

"I've been waiting for the chance to do this for years." Giles growled.

"You and me both." Spike snarled back as he brought a roundhouse kick to Giles' chest. If he had still been breathing, it would have knocked the wind from him. The two of them ended up grappling on the floor until Spike pinned Giles to the floor. "Face it old man, underneath we're just the same."

"I'm nothing like you Spike."

"Really? I'd beg to differ. I'd tell you to look in a mirror, but it would be kind of pointless." Spike sneered. Realising what he meant, Giles put his hands to his face. Horrified by what he felt, he willed himself to change back.

"I'm not like you." He repeated in barely a whisper, more to reassure himself than anything else.

"Have you two finished?" Came an amused voice from the stairs. They both looked up to see Buffy standing halfway down the steps. "Come on, we need you upstairs." She turned and trotted back up to the house. Spike stood and offered his hand to Giles, who, after a moment's hesitation, took it.

"Keep hold of that anger Rupert, we're gonna need it soon. If you deny the part of you that makes you strong, you're useless to us."

Giles regarded Spike for a moment, thinking about what had just happened before saying,

"I'm sorry Spike, I know you were trying to help. In your own unique way."

"Hey, don't go getting mushy on me Giles. There's way too much oestrogen in this house as it is." Spike said with a grin. Giles shook his head and the two of them headed upstairs. Giles may not ever call me friend, thought Spike, but whether he likes it or not, that's what I'd call him.


End file.
